These days alot of people have been interested in having various parts of their bodies pierced, and I know from my own experiences, getting first-hand experience opinions from people can be a pain. So I plan on doing plenty of research on this subject and posting it on this page. Like I said, I have been thru the body piercing experience. I admit I was a little nervous, but luckily I had the advantage of having my cousin going with me and having it done to her too. We decided to have our tongues pierced and we both lived to tell about it! Scroll down to the type of piercing you are interested in to learn more about this trendy art! General Tips Make sure all tools and materials have been either sterilied in an autoclave or come in pre-sterilized, one-time use packaging. Make sure you eat within 2-4 hours of your piercing to insure that you blood sugar is at a safe level-so you don't pass out! Ask that each step is explain before it happens. This way you are less anxious and therefore it isn't anything short of a (positive) memorable experience! Inform the piercer of any medical problems you might have as well as any medications you are on. This is especially important if you are HIV/AIDS positive. The piercer will want to take additional precautions. Ask any questions you might have. Don't worry about sounding weak or stupid. Ear Piercing By far the most common type of piercing, a large majority of women and an increasing number of men have had their ears pierced. There is no limit (except for space) to how many times you can have this done to each ear. There are two types of ear piercings you can have done, both of which have to do with the part of the ear that is to be pierced. The first is lobe piercing, which is done to the fleshy part of the earlobe. You can generally fit 2-3 piercings here. The second is cartilage piercing, which is done to the tougher part of the ear, towards the top. Tongue Piercing Healing Time: 2-4 weeks Size: 14g or heavier Piercing the tongue is done right in the middle of the tongue and is initially done with a long barbell and is replaced with a shorter one after the tongue is healed. Just a few things to keep in mind while your tongue piercing is healing..your tongue will be significantly swollen for about 3-5 days after being pierced. Sucking on clean ice (especially shaved) helps reduce swelling, as does ibuprofin pain-killers (ex. Advil). Propping your head up on a few pillows when laying down also helps prevent blood from pooling in your head and, therefore, reduces swelling. When it comes to cleaning your piercing always make sure you wash your hands before sticking your hands in your mouth! Rinse your mouth out with a water & sea salt mixture. When brushing your teeth, I recommend using a kids toothpaste and soft toothbrush. And be sure you start brushing with a brand new toothbrush. After I had my tongue pierced I rinsed my mouth out with Listerine after every time I ate, although I have seen on a few sites that Listerine might be too harsh. Who knows?! But even if your piercing looks healed, keep up with the good oral hygene. And don't freak out over a green or brown tongue. It just means you're cleaning your mouth too much! As far as pain is concerned, I couldn't live without my tube of pain killing gel with 20% Benzocaine. Anything less than that didn't seem to help much. But I always made sure I had it with me wherever I went for the first 2 weeks. As far as oral pain killers, just make sure you don't take aspirin. It thins out your blood and could make your piercing bleed easier. Taking something with ibuprofin (Advil) is good because it also reduces swelling. And of course, you will need to eat eventually. When they tell you not to eat solid foods for the first few days, they mean it! I couldn't resist and ate a cheeseburger on night 2 and tore my tongue open! And it hurt and it bled, not to mention taking forever to heal. Since you won't be eating as healthy as you probubly would have I recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin. It keeps your bodys supply of minerals and vitamins up, and also helps your piercing heal faster. And I know I couldn't live without my bottled water. Even if you aren't much of a water drinker, you will find that this is the one and only thing you can consume that won't burn your tongue. Also, avoid spicy, acidic, and hot temp foods. Baby food may become your best friend during this time! And when eating something solid, I recommend placing the food in the back of your mouth so your tongue doesn't have to push it back as much. You may find yourself getting a little depressed during the healing stage. I know for me it was more like a chronic frustration because everything seemed much more difficult to do. And you know your friends will be asking all about it with all sorts of questions and the last thing you want to do is talk continually! Well, even if you do I don't recommend it. Your jaws will already be a little sore from the new way you use your mouth, talking alot will just add to the pain. And here's the bummer (if you see it that way). No oral sex or french kissing until your tongue is healed!!! If you are a lady, your man might not be able to wait until you can try out the new...uh...toy. But being patient will pay off in the end! But with all the frustrations it causes, I recommend toughin it out. I found it was well worth it!!! Belly Piercing Healing Time: 6 mo-2 yrs Sizes: 14g or heavier This is another very common type of body piercing more commonly done by women. This would probubly be the next on my list to be pierced, if I was to go and have it done again. Taking care of the new piercing involves cleaning with a mild antibacterial soap about 2 times a day. And make sure you wash your hands before touching the new piercing! Taking a daily multi-vitamin is helpful in helping your body heal up the piercing. Especially one with zinc and vitamin C. Lavender oil has been known to reduce scar tissue and prevent tightening. It also helps keep the piercing lubricated. And you can't escape the fact that you will need to wear some clothes! Of course, don't wear anything tight or anything that puts pressure on the piercing. If you don't have much of a choice (ex. work uniforms) buying a hard, vented eye patch and taping it into place helps. This is good to have anyways for when you sleep and if you play sports. Wearing cotton clothing is also good because it is breathable and encourages air-flow to the piercing. Like any injury on the human body, bleeding, bruising, and swelling is almost inevitable. Taking ibuprofin product (ex. Advil) is good to reduce swelling and pain. Make sure you don't take aspirin, this could make the swelling and bleeding worse. If you become pregnant, you can usually keep the piercing in until about the 6th month. After that you will need to remove it, but you can always have it done again later! Lip/Labret Piercing Healing Time: 2-6 months Sizes: 14g stud 14-16g ring These piercings tend to bleed more because there is such an increased blood supply to the cheek/lip area. Read what I wrote about tongue piercing. Most of the care and tips are the same. When I get more info on this I will post it. Eyebrow Piercing Clean once a day, in the shower is a good time. Bruising is normal, although a black eye effect is common because gravity pools the blood down lower. More on this when I learn more! Gauges 20 gauge = 0.032 inches Smaller 18 gauge = 0.040 inches 16 gauge = 0.051 inches 14 gauge = 0.064 inches 12 gauge = 0.081 inches 10 gauge = 0.102 inches Larger LINKS SteelNavel~Tons of Body Piercing Jewelry!